Take Action: Trump’s FCC chair just declared war on free and open internet

They did it. They actually voted to initiate the repeal of net neutrality.

On a party-line vote, the FCC voted for the first step of Chairman Ajit Pai's plan to hand control of the internet to giant telecom corporations. Not only is ending net neutrality a threat to freedom of speech online, it means an end to open networks - an internet where ISPs can choose what you see, what you can do, and can slow or eliminate your access to content they don’t like.

This isn’t just a nightmare - ISPs have attempted to control their customers’ access in the past, only to be fined $15,000 by the FCC to protect net neutrality. Under Ajit Pai, the FCC would allow ISPs to control consumers internet access without penalty. This a world where the highest bidder could get faster internet, you could limited from accessing a competing ISP’s website, and your ability to communicate freely and openly could be compromised.

These regulations affect everyone - from businesses to religious communities to people of color. Does your ISP not like your social justice message? You may lose access to websites and your messages may never be received. Is your ISP working closely with a competitor? Your business could lose bandwidth, causing it to physically run slower than the competition.

A world without net neutrality is a world in which everyone - except corporations - suffer.